Sorting device



Dec. 26, 1922. 1,439,793. 0. c. CASEY.

SORTING DEVICE.

FILED MAY-23, 1921.

aka/ks C. alsg Patented Dec. 26, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES C. CASEY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO WORK ORGANIZRR SPECIALTIES COMPANY, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHQ man,

, somme DEVICE.

Application filed May 23, 1921. s mi no. 472,025.

To all whom it may concern; 5 'Be it known that LCHARLns C. GAsEY, a citlzen of the United States of- America,

residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sorting Devices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to an assorting device and has special reference to a device that may be used by large mercantile firms, banks and others for classifying letters, circulars and other printed matter preparatory to being placed in files, storage, or other disposal.

My invention aims to provide an assorting device by which papers, characterized by the same or similar quality can be separated into grades, kinds or sizes, and considering letters or statements entering into the business of a mercantile firm, it is 1308-.

'sible to classify such letters or statements either by the month or day on which the letters or statements are received or sent out; by the city or State into which the letters or statements are sent or by an alphabetical classification, all of which permits of sortable matter being quickly grouped for various purposes.

The sorting device is constructed to afford a large number-of stalls or spaces in which flat matter, as paper, may be placed with each stallor space readily accessible and the designations of the stalls or spaces be reduced, when the device is not in use,

so that it will not occupy valuable space, then again, its size permits of the device being readily carried from one location to another for sorting purposes.

My invention further aims to provide a sorting devicethat is simple in construction, durable, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and highly eflicient as an oflice ac-. cessory for facilitating clerical work.

The construction entering into the device will be hereinafter described and then claimed, and reference will now be had to the drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a plan of the device, in its lorig form, partly broken away;

1g. 2 is a similar view of the device in its short form;

Fig. 3 is an edge view, of the same; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of a portion of the device.

The device comprises a main back member 1 and auxiliary back members 2 and 3,

said members being oblong in plan with the auxillary back members 2 and 3 approximately the same length and each auxiliary the main back member 1.

'For the purpose of connecting the memhers I and 2 together and the members 2 .and 3 together, outer strips 4L and inner strips 5 may be employed, these strips being suitably secured to the members 1 and -2 and to each other, as at 6. The members 1, 2 and 3 may be made of card-board, fibroid, 'or any light and stiff material and the strips 4 and 5 may be fabric, paper or any durable, flexible material that willwithstand the folding incurred by geni-ng and closing the sorting device. Inc, or any adhesive material may be employed for connecting the strips 4 and 5 to each other and to the members 1, 2 and 3, or any mechanical means may be employed for such purposes.

lnounted on the inner face of the main back member 1, by an adhesive material or suitable fastening means are a plurality of superposed stepped leaves or leaflets 7, each of which is of a less length than the back member 1 and of such a length that the leaves may have ends thereof stepped inwardly from the outer end of the member 1 towards the inner end. The lowermost leaf or original fold will have its inner end .secured to the back member 1 at a point approximately central of the back member and the fastening of the inner ends of" the other leaves or folds will continue from member 1.

- The leaves 7 on the back member 1 are preferably allmade from a single piece of of leaves to be held in place by the-back member. 1. In doubling the single piece of material the original fold is adhesivelysecured to the back member 1 and alternating folds 8 therebf are adhesively attached to the back member 1 adjacent to the original fold and adjacent each other, while the other alternating folds, which form the outer ends of the leaves 7 are provided with binders 9, which may be made-of fabric, metal or any material on which indicia may be 'conveni ently placed. Besides the binders 9 permitting of the exposed endsof the leaves being marked, said binders maintain the outer folds of the strip-of material which enters into the make-u of all the leaves ,and in consequence of t e strip of material being repeatedly'folded upon itself, each leaf will be composed of two plies, thus lending strength and durability to the leaves.

Since the leaves are superposed in stepped order, there will be a'multiplicity of stalls or spaces 10 between the leaves and with the leaves suitably designated, for instance, al-

phabetically or by months, days, States or dates of'the month as shown in Fig, 1, it is possible to open the leaves at any desired place so that letters, statements or other flat material may be placed in desired stalls for classifying purposes. 5

Secured to the auxiliary back member 2 in a manner similar to'the leaves 7 are leaves 11 which are preferably made from a single piece of material folded on itself with member 2, as shown in Fig. 4, and being folded to form the leaves. The leaves 11 are constructively the same as the leaves 7, allof equal length, and due'to the spacing of the inner ends ofthe leaves, the outer ends thereof will assume a stepped relation, either when the member 2 isin alinement with the member 1 or when the member 2 is folded on the member 1. In the open position of the back member 2 some of the leaves 11 will overlie some of the leaves 7 and there will be a stepped uniform arrangement of the leaves providing stalls or spaces 12 similar in all respects to the stalls or spaces 10.-

When the auxiliary back member 2 is folded relative to the main back member 1 the leaves 11 assume a reversed stepped order, as shown in Fig. 3. I

The auxiliary back member 3 is provided with leaves 13 similar in construction, arrangement andlength to the leaves 11, and

- formed from the same strip of material as the leaves 7 and 11, with the exception that the uppermost leaf 13, which represents an end of the strip of material forming the.

- sorted.

leaves 13, may be provided with a cover strip 14; that may be carried on to the rear face of the auxiliary back 3 to reinforce and strengthen the end thereof. Since the auxiliary back 3 is co-extensive with the auxil iary back 2 and the leaves 13 similarto the leaves 11, the leaves 13 will assume a; stepped order, .either when the sorting device is closed, as shown in Fig. 2, or when the sorting device is open, as shown in Fig. 1. When the sorting device is open the exposed ends of the leaves 13 are a continuation of the exposed stepped ends of the leaves 7 and 11, and when the device is closed the leaves 13 will overlie the leaves 11, thereby providing a short form for the sorting device which may be extended .to, practically twice its length and thus provide a series of uniform stepped stalls or spaces in which selected matter may be placed and separated into grades, species, classes, or; divisions indicated by theexposed ends of the. leaves, or predetermined by the nature of the :matter to be It it possible, as brought out in Fig 4 to make the leaves 7, 11 and 13 all from a single strip of material, in which instance sufficient material is left between adjacent leaves 7 and 11 of the members 1 and 2 and adjacent.

leaves 11 and 13 of the members 2 and 3 to contribute to the formation of the hinge between the back members. This construction is preferable as in manufacturing the sorting device it is possible to make up the devices into as many stalls as may be required, it being only necessary to select back .members of proper lengths and a. strip of -material, which when folded, will.- provide the required number of leaves.-

' While in the drawing there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that the construction of the sorting device is susceptible to such changes, in size, material and shape as are permissible by the appended claims.

What I claim is 1. A sorting device comprising leaf memhers arranged in sets and-each set of leaf members having stalls between the leaves thereof, said sets of leaf members being jmovableso that said devicemay assume a long formation placing all the stalls in successive stepped order or a short form in which one set of leaf members only is con- .venient for -sorting purposes.

2. A sorting device as called 'for in claim 1, wherein said device in its short form has its intermediate set of leaf members providing stalls of a steppedorder the reverseof the stepped order of the remaining sets of leaf members.

3. A sorting device comprising a back member,'a strip of material folded with al- 'ternate folds attached to said member to provide leaves, the manner of attaching the folds to the back member causing the leaves to have a stepped formation when parallel with said back member, and binders on the other folds of the strip of material and on which indicia may be placed and exposed by the stepped order of the leaves to distinguish one leaf from another.

4. A sorting device comprising articulated back members adapted to be placed either in a common plane or one upon the other, and leaves carried by said back members, said leaves being of such a size and of such arrangement that free ends of the leaves are in stepped order when said back members are in a common plane.

5. A sorting deviceas in claim 4 characterized by all of said leaves being formed by a single piece of folded material having folded portions thereof connected to said back members.

6. A sorting device as in claim 4 wherein adjacent leaves of adjoining back members assist in articulating said back members.

7. A sorting device as in claim 4 wherein the leaves are two ply, and binding strips are mounted on the free ends thereof."

8. A sorting device comprising end and 9. A isorting device comprising a strip of v material folded to afford a plurality of stalls having open ends in stepped formation, and means connecting portions of the strip of material adjacent alternate folds permitting of some of said stalls being bodily shifted to a position above others of said stalls. v

10. A sorting device as in claim 9 wherein the stalls are of equal length and the stepped order of some of said stalls is reversed when shifted.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES C. CASEY.

Witnesses ANNA BARFOOT, NORAH MOFARLIN. 

